Main Event: Free Garden Tour
- As always, the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour is free!
- 10:00–5:00 on Sunday, May 6, 2012. (Please DO NOT visit these gardens on Saturday, May 5, as the hosts will be busy preparing for the big event on the following day. The free tour takes place ONLY on Sunday, May 6, 2012.)
- This is a self-guided tour of 50 fabulous gardens that provide habitat for wildlife, are pesticide-free, conserve water, and contain 60% or more native plants.
- After registering, you will receive a garden guide in the mail; register early to receive your guide by mid-April. The guide contains more than enough tickets for two people, as most people see 4 – 6 gardens. (Twenty tickets are located on the last page of the guide). Every adult (age 16 and older) must provide a ticket at the greeting table before entering a garden.
- Registration is required in order to receive a garden guide, which contains garden addresses, maps and directions. The Tour is expected to fill, so register early to avoid being disappointed.
- Native plants will be sold at a variety locations. Several native plant nurseries will be open from 10 – 5 on the week-end of the tour. See the Native Plant Sale Extravaganza, or the matrix at the back of the garden guide for details.
- More than 50 free talks will be given throughout the day. The garden guide contains the schedule.
- Preview the 2012 gardens to see photos, view extensive garden descriptions, and download plant lists.
- Handicapped accessible gardens can be found by looking at the last column in the “Gardens at a Glance” matrix at the back of the Tour Guide.
- Volunteers are needed! Volunteers can visit tour gardens this spring at a series of Garden Soirees—events held in March and April and organized expressly for volunteers and hosts. By volunteering for half a day on the day of the tour, and attending Soirees, you can see more gardens than you would by just participating in the tour. Learn more